Chapter 66: Digging a Pit

Haoran Academy. Just as Lu Yang left, Ji Xiongying quietly arrived.

“Bookworm, you met that immortal.”

As soon as he entered, Ji Xiongying was slightly startled. He didn’t expect that Wang Boyuan, who was high-spirited and vigorous just a few months ago, would suddenly become such a disheveled and sloppy figure.

“What happened to you?”

“…Nothing.” Wang Boyuan poured himself another mouthful of wine and smiled: “If you mean the one you fought, I indeed met him.”

“He was quite interested in my ‘Qi Gazing Technique’, which is an honor.”

“Cut the crap!” Ji Xiongying sneered, throwing the classic he obtained from his ‘fated encounter’ directly in front of Wang Boyuan: “He can fulfill the grand wish of you and me.”

“There are immortals in the world, unaging and undying. Kill them and eat their flesh to obtain eternal life!” Ji Xiongying said loudly: “Didn’t you aspire to open an era of peace for ten thousand generations? As long as we kill that immortal and share his flesh, we can live forever in this world. At that time, we can create a peaceful world that will never fall for ten thousand generations!”

“A peaceful world…”

Wang Boyuan murmured in a low voice, but didn’t show the excitement Ji Xiongying imagined. He simply shook his head, then said calmly: “Then let us try.”

“Good! It’s a deal!”

Ji Xiongying noticed Wang Boyuan’s attitude was off, as if he was hiding something on his mind, but he couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it. As long as Wang Boyuan was willing to act, that was enough.

Meanwhile, inside Tianjing City.

At this moment, Lu Yang had regained his composure because he suddenly realized something: If it were truly a Foundation Establishment Perfected One, there would be no need for so much trouble.

Because this time was different from Skull Mountain.

At Skull Mountain, Perfected One Yin Shan, hiding behind the scenes, actually didn’t intend to kill him; he merely used him as bait. But this time was different.

This time, someone clearly wanted to kill him!

The reason they hadn’t acted yet was likely because his true body was still hiding behind layers of formations, having only sent out an external avatar to scout the path.

This indicated that the cultivation of the mastermind definitely hadn’t reached Foundation Establishment. If it were Foundation Establishment, there would be no need for apprehension—just a direct slap, and he would undoubtedly die. Considering this, although the opponent could manipulate karma, their strength was likely only at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

‘Something is strange…’

Able to manipulate karma, yet not Foundation Establishment?

One must know that divining karma and manipulating karma differ by only a word, but the difference is like heaven and earth. It is the watershed between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining.

Divining karma only allows for a bit of foreknowledge.

But manipulating karma can truly make the situation develop according to one’s own ideas. Logically speaking, only a Foundation Establishment Perfected One can do such a thing.

So ‘able to manipulate karma, yet not Foundation Establishment’ should be impossible.

Unless it is…

“Foundation Establishment… Reincarnation?”

Lu Yang frowned. After eliminating all impossible guesses, the only answer surfaced: “There is a reincarnated Foundation Establishment cultivator in the secret realm!?”

That’s right, the tribulation of The Sage Steals!

Thinking of this, Lu Yang felt absurd. What is this? My tribulation for mastering The Sage Steals is actually a reincarnated Foundation Establishment coming to find trouble?

It shouldn’t go that far!

Heaven above, this humble Daoist has always been kind to others. How could I provoke a Foundation Establishment…

‘…Ah.’

The next second, Lu Yang’s eyes suddenly widened.

‘Yun Miaozhen, Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion?’

In this life, there were only two Foundation Establishment cultivators who might have a grudge against him. One was the Peak Master of Heaven-Mending Peak, but that person was in the prime of life and definitely not at the point of needing to reincarnate.

The other was the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion.

Given the size of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion, it would be normal for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to reincarnate. Because there was already a grudge, they were attracted by the tribulation of The Sage Steals?

It couldn’t be that ridiculous, right?

Thinking of this, Lu Yang was instantly drenched in cold sweat, nearly scared enough to leave the secret realm on the spot and report to Perfected One Yin Shan that there were bad guys inside…

However, in the end, he resisted the impulse to leave the secret realm. Because he suddenly thought of the final step he had deduced earlier for mastering the Grand Yin Corpse Liberation Transformation True Method—didn’t the secret method of ‘Death and then Transformation’ lack exactly the soul of a reincarnated Foundation Establishment cultivator to help perfect it?

On the other hand, his Sage Steals hadn’t been mastered yet either.

If he reported it now and Perfected One Yin Shan cleared the field, he would get nothing. Leaving aside the Foundation Establishment soul, The Sage Steals would inevitably fall short of success.

‘Although it is a tribulation, it is also an opportunity!’

As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune depend on each other!

Every cause must have an effect; every payment has a return. As long as he could overcome this tribulation with his own strength, the tribulation would turn into a monumental opportunity!

Moreover, he was not without a chance of winning.

Before, the enemy was in the dark and he was in the light; knowing nothing about the opponent, naturally, it was a situation of ten deaths and no life. But now that he knew the truth, it was different!

He could totally beat them at their own game!

‘Since that reincarnated Foundation Establishment is plotting against me in the dark, these so-called Martial Dao Celestials were likely created by him too. I knew there was a problem here…’

‘…He wants to lure me out!’

‘And now that I’ve only sent out an avatar, he is definitely not satisfied… That’s right, so that Ji Xiongying suddenly appeared to fight a great battle with me.’

‘If nothing unexpected happens, he should have follow-up moves. Most likely, he wants to destroy this avatar of mine, thereby luring me out of my secluded Cave Abode and leaving the protection of the formations… But Ji Xiongying is not a match for this avatar of mine. To kill me… they can only unite other Celestials to act together!’

Understood! Everything is understood!

Lu Yang’s expression didn’t change, but in his heart, he had already figured out most of the Yun Family Ancestor’s plan. Vaguely, his comprehension of karma also deepened.

‘This is Foundation Establishment…’

Foundation Establishment cultivators rarely fight with their lives. Therefore, most make moves through karma. Whoever can calculate the other’s karma holds the overwhelming advantage!

‘He wants to kill? I’ll let him kill!’

Lu Yang pondered for a long time and quickly came up with a countermeasure. After all, he actually intended to fight a battle with the Martial Dao Celestials anyway to pull the Martial Dao back on track.

But not by creating a fifth step.

On this point, the Yun Family Ancestor’s judgment was very accurate. With Lu Yang’s current cultivation and vision, even with the help of the Dao-Illuminating Jade Slip, it was impossible to take the fifth step.

However, to break the game, he didn’t actually need to create a new realm… he just needed to make people think he created a new realm.

After all, the key to The Sage Steals lies in stealing.

And to deceive the world and steal a reputation, one never needed any real substance.

‘First, I need a new identity.’

Since he wanted everyone to believe he created a new realm, he needed to be convincing. For this, an origin with high enough stature was indispensable.

‘My true name… Hmm, let’s call me Di Shitian!’

‘I have lived for over a thousand years and am the only immortal in this world. I have long reached the limits of this world and am seeking a method to break through.’

‘And the reason I communicate and battle with the Martial Dao Celestials is because I believe that when a person’s cultivation reaches the ultimate limit of the world, to go a step further, one must fight each other, kill each other, and sublimate to the extreme between life and death, thereby breaking the shackles of heaven and earth!’

‘This realm, I call it Shattering the Void!’

‘After Shattering the Void, one can ascend and fly away. In this way, no one knows what happened, nor can they describe the profundity of this realm.’

‘After all, everyone who reaches this realm never returns; no one can show up to explain it…’

The unknown brings fear, but it also brings hope.

‘I don’t even need to describe this realm in detail. Just have a great battle, then demonstrate it publicly once, and they will fill in the rest with their own imagination…’

This is a massive pit!

The Martial Dao Fourth Step was already a dead end; Foundation Establishment was impossible. But the human heart has no limits, and the Martial Dao Celestials needed a goal they could pursue even more.

And this goal, Lu Yang would give to them!

As long as he performed a spectacular enough show in front of everyone, making the so-called ‘Shattering the Void’ seem ethereal yet tangible and credible.

If no one believes it, even the truth becomes fake.

If someone believes it, even a fake becomes real!

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